Biographical Note

Alton Lindsey was a renowned Purdue University ecologist who served as the vertebrate zoologist for Admiral Byrd's second Expedition to the Antarctic in 1933-35 and is considered the father of Indiana's nature preserve system. Born in Pittsburgh in 1907, Lindsey earned a bachelor's degree from Allegheny College in 1929 and a doctorate from Cornell University in 1937. He came to Purdue in 1947 as a biology professor and in 1969 wrote Natural Areas in Indiana and Their Preservation, considered "the bible" of preservation. The book was instrumental in the creation of 170 protected nature preserves in the state. He was instrumental in the preservation of Ross Hills Park and Pine Hills Nature Preserve, among others. In 1960, 12 Lindsey Islands in Antarctica were named for him, and in 1973 a new genus and species of animal was named for him. Lindsey wrote 10 books and 75 research papers. He was named an emeritus professor in 1973, and in 1976 the Ecological Society of America conferred on him the Eminent Ecologist Award. He received an honorary Purdue doctorate in 1995. Lindsey died December 19, 1999 at age 92.